Whatever you can do, or dream you can. Begin It. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
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Joining the Hive community is indeed a bold move for me because I had never tried blogging myself, but I believe that there's power and magic if you begin doing something you think you can do!
Hello Hive World! It's MissJoycee, 39, from the Philippines. It's nice to meet everyone here!
WHAT ABOUT ME?
I’m a full-time secondary school teacher and a dedicated wife and mother of two. Born and raised in the town called "Tabogon" in the northern part of Cebu, I happen to be living the dream I once had when I was young- that is to be a teacher in this humble little place. I’m now in my 13th year teaching Filipino students in public schools had taught foreign nationals like Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and Taiwanese students for almost 6 years.
Becoming a teacher was never an easy journey for me because I was born into a humble family that just managed to eat three times or even less a day. I was in Grade 2 when both of my parents had to leave us (with my 2 siblings) home alone in the province to earn a living in the city with my then twelve-year-old sister left in charge of the house.
You can imagine as young as I was managing to wake up every day, go to school, do school assignments/homework and do home chores myself until high school. How free I was to do whatever I wished and go wherever I wanted to go with no one stopping me. It was good (“Yeah!”) being an immature young girl who only wanted to play and enjoy but this experience taught me to be independent and self-reliant and I understood that we had to go through it to survive. With all humility, I even finished my elementary and secondary years with flying colors being one of the top students in the class.
Life got tougher when I went to college. My eldest sister had to work for us and send me to school. The hardships I went through having to manage my day at school with my allowance hardly enough for my transportation fare and food. Indeed, when you don’t lose hope, you will have the strength and courage to survive the difficulties in life. Instead, I took these hardships as my strong motivation to achieve my dream.
WHAT INTERESTS ME?
SPENDING THE WEEKENDS/HOLIDAYS WITH MY FAMILY. There’s no one else in this world that can make me the happiest than my own family- my husband and two kids. Spending the weekends with them dining out or strolling and holidays going on trips to new places is the best quality time that I treasure the most.
MEETING NEW PEOPLE AND LEARNING NEW CULTURES. I just love learning and exploring new cultures. My almost 6-year working experience as an ESL (English as a Second Language) Instructor at Cebu Pacific International Language Services (CPILS) teaching the English language as a medium of instruction to foreign nationals taught me to be open-minded with the fact that we may be from the different parts of the world and grow in different cultures, but we may share the same hobbies, passions, and values.
Teaching a small-group class with students (Korean and Japanese) from different cultures and ages is just very challenging because you need to know how to adjust not only your techniques and strategies in teaching but also your words in order not to offend anyone. Even so, I find it very interesting learning how to deal with these kinds of students and more importantly their cultures. And of course, seeing for yourself the indigenous people in Baguio City not just in the books or the internet is just fascinating and awesome!
TRAVELING. I love traveling and going on adventures. My first job (as an ESL Instructor) offered me traveling opportunities after my ESL team became the overall champion in the competitions conducted during our company’s founding anniversary. We utilized the prize that we received as a group to explore some tourist destinations in the Philippines such as Camiguin Island, Cagayan de Oro, and the islands of Lapu-Lapu. It was a great blessing for an ordinary girl like me who had never been to a place far from home ever since I was young.
You know the feeling of excitement and thrill of enjoying these new places but with very less or no expense at all! Camiguin Island is just amazing with several hot and cold springs one can enjoy because of the presence of volcanoes all over the island not to mention the very alluring “White Island”. And, who would not be fascinated with the beauty of the islands in Lapu-Lapu - with its fine sandy beaches and clear coastal waters?
Mesmerized by the beauty and wonders of nature, I came to love and be inspired to travel more though it meant having to save more of my hard-earned money. I was able to set foot in one of my dream places, the “Summer Capital of the Philippines”, Baguio City in Luzon, and also visited Davao in Mindanao (though this one is partly sponsored). Looking forward to more travels in the future in God’s will and grace!!
ADVENTURES. I believe I’m technically a risk-taker trying new things that seemed difficult and scary. I used to join an ‘Amazing Race’ game with 2 Korean (male and female) and 1 Japanese (male) student with 1 American teacher (that served as our Marshall) as my teammate to represent our ESL group (Unfortunately, I can’t retrieve photos to attach here). This action-packed adventure brought us around the corners and streets in Cebu City (like Capitol, Colon St., Parian, etc.) undertaking team-based challenges (solving puzzles, swimming into the pool to get something underwater, running to and fro, climbing and ziplining, having to eat strange-looking food and taste disgusting drinks, etc.) with my team.
It was very exhausting (whew!) that I couldn’t get up the next day! However, it was very fun and a great learning experience for me to take on the amazing challenge with amazing people from different cultures.
ZIPLINING. Another heart-pumping adventure I tried was going ziplining first time with my sister at Eden Nature Park and Resort during our trip to Davao City, Philippines. Just climbing up towards the starting point already brought me anxiety but the sight of the whole island and Davao city gliding through the steel cables was just captivating and jaw-dropping. Indeed, we cannot see the beauty beyond the shore if we don’t try to cross the ocean. And when I came down, I could just say, “Whew! I made it, yes!”
BEING A CERTIFIED “PLANTITA” (PLANT LOVER). Being a teacher also brings out my love for plants and gardening. Teaching my students how to be responsible by learning to care for and grow their plants in our school garden also ignited me to be a plant lover myself. Getting some ideas and tips from my co-teachers who specialized in Agriculture/Crop production, taking good care of my plants at home became my weekend routine. I grow different varieties of plants at home not only because I find them enchanting and beautiful but also because caring for them is my daily/weekly physical exercise.
What’s more fulfilling than to see the seed that you planted and or the seedling that you reared grows beautifully and becomes productive just like what a good teacher does- plants a seed of knowledge, sprinkles it with love, and patiently nurtures its growth to produce tomorrow’s dreams (unknown).
WHY AM I HERE?
A school paper adviser myself allowed me to coach student writers to compete and excel in press conferences. But ironically, I had not yet written an article myself published in online/offline journals or websites. I had never thought I would become a blogger one day putting into writing what gives me joy and satisfaction in my life. I have always been an introverted, reserved, and shy person who feels uncomfortable and uneasy facing a big crowd.
Having been introduced to the Hive community is not only exciting but also interesting for me because this platform can be a perfect avenue for me to openly share and express myself, and meet and interact with new and interesting people from different cultures. Thanks to 
I firmly believe that every person has a different story worth telling and a different experience worth sharing. That is why I think I’m here because God brought me here to be inspired and inspire others as well. I will be more than delighted to share more things that interest me, more works and activities that keep me busy and more places that I explore and discover in my upcoming blogs. God bless everyone and see you all soon! Thank you so much!